Calgary high schools rank among the top in Alberta, securing 14 out of the top 20 positions in the Fraser Institute’s annual secondary school ratings.
Two of the three schools to receive a perfect 10 rating in the Fraser Institute’s 2024 Alberta high school report card are located in Calgary, while the remaining schools located in the city that made the top 20 list achieved a rating of 8.5 or higher.
The think tank published its grades for high schools across the province this week, ranking the 292 public, Catholic, and independent schools.
Rankings are based on eight graduation and academic indicators such as average diploma completion rate, average diploma exam marks, percentage of diploma exams failed, and the difference between male and female students in the average value of their exam marks in English and math. Diploma courses taken per student and delayed advancement rate are also considered.
“The report card offers parents information they can’t easily get anywhere else, about how schools perform over time and how they compare to other schools in Alberta,” Fraser Institute senior fellow Peter Cowley said in an Oct. 8 release.
Only 31 schools scored 8.0 or higher out of 10 while 46 schools scored between 7.0 and 7.9, and 92 schools received scores ranging from 6.9 to 6.0.
A total of 52 schools ranked between 5.9 and 5.0, 38 schools received a score of 4.9 to 4.0 and 15 schools ranged from 3.9 to 3.0 out of 10. Nine schools received a score of 2.9 to 2.0 and seven schools received a rating below 2.0.
Three schools received a score of zero. The schools are located in Edmonton, Wabasca, and Ashmont.
Public evaluation of schools serves not only to inform parents but also to inspire the schools themselves, the report’s authors wrote. Schools that score well or show steady progress are celebrated while poorly performing schools generate concern.
That doesn’t mean schools can’t improve, however.
“We often hear that schools can’t improve student performance because of the communities and students they serve, but the findings in our school report card suggests otherwise,” Cowley said.
One example of that is Forest Lawn High School, one of the fastest-improving schools in the province, according to the report. The Calgary high school went from a score of 3.5 in 2017 to 6 in 2023, despite nearly half of students not speaking English as a first language and 19 percent of students having special needs requiring additional support.
Okotoks private school Strathcona-Tweedsmuir, which was already a high achiever, improved from a score of 8.2 to 9.7 over the same period.
Schools receiving a perfect rating of 10 were Webber Academy, a private school in Calgary; Old Scona Academic in Edmonton; and Calgary French & International School, a private French immersion institution.
